Practical Info

If you are visiting this page it means you are very very probably participating in Lift11, so first thank you for coming! Every year we welcome around 1000 persons coming from 40 countries, and the following information is here to make your trip and stay as enjoyable as possible. Click below on the section you are interested in, and remember that we always welcome tips and addresses from our community so please forward us any feedback about positive or negative experiences you might have had in Geneva.

This is a very long page and you might only be interested in one of the sections below so here are quick links:

Participant Checklist

• You can now download and print our program and participant guide.
• Book a flight and hotel. Try to arrive on Feb 1st or on the morning of the 2nd, and stay until the 5th. See below for addresses.
• Follow the conference news: join the mailing list, read the official blog, subscribe to our RSS feeds. More info.
• Fill in your profile so that others know who you are and what you are up to. You will end up with better contacts, and that's the main reason for coming to conferences right?

Quick Facts

• The conference happens in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb 2-4 2011.
• If you are coming from abroad, try to land on the 1st or early on the 2nd and fly back on Feb 4th in the evening if you are in a hurry, or later if you can take a bit of time to visit the region.
• Most of the conference is held in English, with some speakers presenting in French. There will be simultaneous translation available in both English and French.
• The weather in February is usually pretty cold but sunny.
• The currency is the Swiss Franc (CHF). 1CHF is 0.98USD, 0.77EUR, 0.64GBP.

Date & Location

The event happens at Centre International de Conférences Genève (CICG).

The conference starts on Wednesday 2 at 9:30am, and ends on Friday 4th at 7pm. There will be activities the nights before and after, so if you can come earlier it always improves networking and returns. Join the pre-conference drinks on Tuesday 1st, and stay for a ski week-end in the mountains!

Travel

From Switzerland: you would be crazy not to take the train, but if you insist get a map from mappy or google.

From France: try the TGV (click here to book your trip with the SNCF) or try to catch a plane if you come from Paris (click here to see a timetable of flights from Paris to Switzerland). Easyjet and Swiss have very cheap flights.

From Europe: we have a great airport in Geneva so you should easily find reasonably priced tickets.

Check RouteRank (below) or Kayak to find a fare. You will probably fly with Easyjet, Air France, British Airways, Fly Baboo or Virgin Express.

If you're flying into Geneva airport you're eligible for free public transport from the airport, valid 80 mins (look at the bottom of this webpage). You have to pick the ticket up before you come through customs from a special machine in the baggage collection area in the arrivals section of the Airport.

Once in your hotel, ask for a Geneva UNIRESO Transport Card. That gives you a pass for free public transport during your entire stay. http://www.geneve-tourisme.ch/index.php?rubrique=0000000417&lang=_eng&PH....

For a complete schedule of flights going to/leaving from Geneva check the airport's page. This might be a good start to check who is flying to your city and then book your ticket directly from the airline.

Air France will once again be offering Lifters a CHF 50 reduction on any flight (to any of their destinations, not just Geneva) for a limited period.

Have a look here for more details, and the discount code. Please note that the code only works on the Air France Switzerland site, available in English, French and German.

Accommodation

If you are one of our dear Lift11 participants, and haven't yet booked your hotel room, please do so when you have a few minutes.

Hotel hints

The hotels listed below are our recommendations as they are in the center of the city and close to the conference. The prices shown are estimates, please call the hotels directly to get the current prices.

Youth hostel
City Hostel (newly renovated bathrooms, very clean and quiet, only 10 minutes from the CICG, recommended by Eleonore from the Lift team.)
• Bed in a 3-bed dormitory 32CHF
• Single room with TV 65CHF

Geneva Youth Hostel
• Bed in a dormitory 29CHF
• Double room with WC & shower 95CHF

Home Saint Pierre, women only ;)
• Single 46CHF
• Double 68CHF
• Dormitories (10 + 6 Beds) 29CHF
(prices do not include breakfeast, additional costs may apply)

1 star hotels
• Hotel St Gervais From 105CHF

2 star hotels
• Hotel Bernina From 120CHF for a single and 160CHF for a double, in front of the Train Station

3 star hotels
• Hotel Mon Repos, 207CHF, free WIFI
• Hotel Cristal single 180CHF, double 230CHF, WIFI
• Hotel Eden single from 185CHF, double 235CHF, WIFI
• Hotel Strasbourg & Univers single 190CHF, twin 250CHF, WIFI
• Hotel Kipling (Manotel) 240CHF, WIFI, located very close to Geneva main station and the tram which brings you to the conference center
• Hotel Edelweiss (Manotel) 240CHF, the hotel with the most swissness in Geneva ;) WIFI included, a 5-minute walk away from the tram which brings you to the conference center
• Hotel Jade (Manotel) 240CHF, WIFI included, a 5-minute walk away from the tram which brings you to the conference center
• Hotel Suisse single from 155CHF, double from 225CHF, WIFI and breakfast included

4 star hotels
• Hotel Tiffany from 220CHF
• Hotel Novotel from 350CHF
• Royal Hotel (Manotel)From 260CHF, 4 stars superior, WIFI included, located very close to Geneva main station and the tram which brings you to the conference center
• Hotel Epsom (Manotel) From 260CHF, 4 stars superior, WIFI included, only a few steps away from the shores of Lake Geneva, a 5-minute walk away from the tram which brings you to the conference center
• Hotel Cornavin from 262CHF single, from 312CHF double

5 star hotels

• Hotel Intercontinental from 380CHF, WIFI but not free, 5 minutes from the Conference Center
• La Réserve, one of the world's best hotels with an excellent spa... An amazing place, a bit out of the center of Geneva, but worth the slight inconvenience.
• Four Season Hotel des Bergues, in the center, leading hotels of the world

Restaurants

There are plenty of options of course. One good way to approach the city is to rely on a site like iTaste that offers plenty of reviews from local and international people on most restaurants in Geneva.

Don't hesitate to ask the people working at the conference for tips too, they know a lot about where to go for a good meal.

What to do After the Event

We very very strongly encourage you to stay in Switzerland after Lift to enjoy the mountains that are a few minutes away from Geneva. Try the skiing or snow activities in:
Les Diablerets
Zermatt, probably the most picturesque place in Europe (pictures here and here).
More recommendations for hiking and relaxing:
Villars, Nice and Cosy.
Crans-Montana, Glamorous and Sunny
La Clusaz, a 45-minute car drive from Geneva. Be sure to eat at L'Arbé, one of our all-time favorites.
Chamonix, the glacier "La vallée blanche" offers year-round skiing
Courchevel and Megeve, for the jet-setters.
Grimentz/St-Jean, if you like quieter less-crowded places with great ambiance

All these places are easily accessible by train (Swiss ski resorts), car or bus (French ski resorts).

We would also recommend the thermal baths in Leukerbad, a visit of CERN, the UN, the waterfront, Geneva's old town, some museums, or a drive to Annecy or Lausanne.

Maps of Geneva

• Walking: map of Geneva showing walking times
• Geneva public transport route maps
• Geneva public transport itinerary search (very handy)
• Maps: Google | Mappy | Search.ch
• CICG access map

Spread the word

Our Lift11 banners are here. Feel free to use them to promote the conference on your website!

You can also download and share the conference poster:

High definition | 500px PNG | 200px PNG

If you attend you should read our blog. We use it a lot to communicate with conference attendees. Here are some ways you can subscribe to Lift updates:

Conference blog: Email | RSS

Talks: Email | RSS

Groups:

Contact

If you need further assistance to organize your stay, contact the Geneva Tourism office or the LIFT team!